This invention relates to food blending apparatus and to a method of blending food within a container. The invention has particular application to milk shakes but can be used with other food products which need to be blended, particularly those which need to be dispensed ready for consumption in retail premises.
Hitherto milk shakes have been produced by manually placing ice cream, milk and flavouring into a blender jug into which a blender is inserted to produce the blended milk shake. The milk shake is then poured into a receptacle from which the customer consumes the product. The blender jug then has to be cleaned and sanitised for re-use. However, in the present fast food market there is a demand for a better system for producing milk shakes taking account of health regulations, labour costs, waste, product quality and the level of skill of the operator. Current milk shake systems provide for improved pasteurisation but such systems are more expensive and more complicated. Moreover some of such systems are limited in the flavours which can be produced.
An object of this invention is to provide food blending apparatus and a method of food blending which overcomes problems with existing systems.
According to the invention a method of dispensing blended food products such as milk shakes in disposable containers having integral blending means located internally of the container, which blending means is drivingly connectable to drive means externally of and separate from the container, wherein the container is made and nested with other containers, the container is de-nested, charged with product ingredients at a charging location remote from a dispensing location, the container is sealed to seal the ingredients within the container, the container and its contents are cooled to at least a serving temperature, at the dispensing location, the blending means is releasably drivingly connected to said drive means, and the drive means is actuated to cause the blending means to operate and blend the ingredients within the container, access is gained to the blended food product within the container whereby to consume said blended product from the container, and the container is disposed of.
Preferably the container is charged with ingredients at the charging location at which containers are de-nested from one another.
Conveniently each container has an upper open end in which another container is nestably locatable and, after de-nesting containers, the open end of the container acts to receive the product ingredients, said open end being sealingly closed after charging the container with said ingredients. Sealing may be by applying a heat sealed closure, by the use of a snap-on lid, or both according to the temperature at which the filled container is to be stored and transported.
In one arrangement the container has a lower end in which the blending means is located and access to the blending means is sealed at said lower end with removable sealing means.
According to another aspect the invention provides a container for use in the method of the invention which comprises a nestable vessel having an upper opening through which food product ingredients are chargeable into the vessel, sealing means for sealing said upper opening and two or more of said vessels being constructed to be nestable when empty by locating one inside the other through said upper opening, the container having integral blending means including an impeller rotatable relative to the container to blend said ingredients within the container, location means for securing the impeller rotatably in the container, drive connection means associated with the impeller and accessible externally of the container for driving connection with drive means whereby the impeller is rotated, the blending means being permanently united with the container, and the container being constructed to be disposable after blending and consumption of food product from the container.
Conveniently said vessel is of circular cross-section tapered towards one end whereby to locate and nest two or more vessels inside one another, the narrower end of each vessel being insertable inside the wider upper opening of another vessel.
The rotatable element and the associated coupling means may be located on the lid or at the base of the container remote from the lid. When the rotatable element is in the lid, the container is usually inverted for engagement with the drive means.
If the rotatable element is located in the base of the container, the container is usually located in an upright position during engagement of the drive means.
The drive means is conveniently incorporated into a support for the container on which the container is located during blending of product within the container, the support incorporating the drive means and its associated prime mover. The support may be located within a refrigerated cabinet. There may be included means for feeding containers to a blending position which can be initiated by coin freed means for self service.
The blending means is arranged to cause product in the container to be blended upon rotation thereof and is conveniently located centrally of the container and has outwardly directed portions extending from the axis of rotation.
According to a further aspect the invention provides food blending apparatus comprising a container including a nestable vessel having an upper opening through which food product ingredients are chargeable into the vessel, sealing means for sealing said upper opening, two or more vessels being nestable within one another when empty by locating one inside the other through said upper opening, the container having integral blending means within the container including an impeller for blending the ingredients within the container, location means for securing the blending means rotatably in the container, drive connection means associated with the impeller and accessible externally of the container for driving connection with drive means, a mounting for mounting the container and incorporating the drive means, whereby upon mounting the container on the mounting means in driving connection with the drive means the impeller is rotatable, the mounting means providing a seating for the container during blending.
Preferably the seating has a portion shaped according to the external shape of the container whereby supporting the walls of the container during blending.
The components of the container, its sealing member and the rotatable blending element are conveniently of plastics material so that these components may be disposed of after the food product has been consumed. Moreover the container may be supplied for use containing food product to be blended. Thus this enables pre-filled containers to be supplied from a source, such as a factory, already filled with product ready for use by a retail outlet in a variety of food compositions and flavours, thus obviating the need for the retail outlet to store product for filling into the containers. In addition, due to the nature of the apparatus, food product cannot come into contact with associated apparatus before and during blending. Nevertheless the blended product is readily accessible by the user. Hygiene problems are overcome by this approach whilst still giving the opportunity for a wide range of products to be sold.
The filled containers may be supplied with components of the product layered within the container in horizontal or vertical layers, the blending process bringing about the desired blended product. If desired it is also possible for the product to be aerated within the container in addition to a blending process. Alternatively aeration of product may be achieved before feeding product into the container. As a further option the containers may be kept cold and/or ice may be present or introduced into the container to be incorporated into the blended product.
By the provision of containers filled with product and incorporating as part of the container a rotatable blending element fill blending is obtained and there is no sanitising or hygiene problem. The container assembly can be made cost effective by the use of plastics components even though the container may only be used for one serving of product.